Over at CNET, author Don Reisinger recently covered Sites that get your home ready to sell. At the top of the list was Cyberhomes.  Don shares that visitors to Cyberhomes interested in their homes value simply need to type their address and Cyberhomes will return how much we believe the home is worth.

It was also great to hear that Reisinger recognizes home value estimates are a big part of Cyberhomes, but by no means all we have under the hood. Reisinger goes on to share that Cyberhomes “provides a listing of homes for sale in your area, where you can find ‘distressed’ homes you might be able to buy on the cheap, and neighborhood information down to income and demographic data.” Read the full story

Last month I came across a post on ActiveRain by a developer using the Cyberhomes Application Programming Interface (API). His name is Murali Vasudevan, and I thought he did a great job implementing our API. It got me thinking of how many real estate agents would love the functionality he created on their website or blog. So I reached out to Murali last week and asked him a few questions, including how an agent can get his custom work on their site. See our interview below.

1. What first made you want to build off the Cyberhomes API?
   I look for opportunities to enhance customer experience by solving real life issues using tools available for free! In the past I have integrated APIs from Amazon and Google which can be seen at http://www.elixiraddons.com. Recently came across your web service API from an article on realtor web site www.realtor.com. After reviewing it I thought that it could be used for realtor sites to provide useful information for the visitors helping to increase the traffic to these sites. First I created an addon http://www.elixiraddons.com/cyber to show comparable sales for any property within the continental US. I enhanced this by showing the properties on Google Maps.
2. How does the Cyberhomes API compare to other API’s you’ve implemented?
   Cyberhomes API is on the top of the list based on my experience. Especially I like the fact that you provide the distance of comparable properties from the primary property in your response. The latitude longitude info also looks more reliable which is essential to show the properties on Google Map.
3. Recently one of your add-ons was enhanced with a property tax appeal feature.  What’s your goals here?
   Glad you asked this. Recently I read an article in our local news paper (www.latimes.com) about the scam artists trying to exploit the home owners who have already hit hard by the current financial turmoil. These agencies seem to be charging the homeowners hefty amounts to appeal their property taxes with the county assessor. I thought that Cyberhomes API has all the details required by the appeal process and have come up with this tool (http://www.elixiraddons.com/cyber)  to generate the form ready to be printed and mailed to the assessor. I thought this will be a timely help for lot of the hard hit homeowners in California. Initial feedback is very encouraging so far. So far I have automated the appeal process for Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Orange county. Will be adding more to this list soon. Read the full story

Last week I was talking with Neil, the Art Director for Cyberhomes, about some of the hidden gems on the Cyberhomes site.  We both fired off a few of our favorites and then it became apparent…we need to share this on the new blog! And just like that, the following list was born. I think it’s important to note that I did not add the obvious tools like home search; even though it’s reach is incredible. I was going for the hidden WOW-factor and I hope you will agree.

So here they are, 7 of my favorite hidden gems:

1. Heat Maps:  I’m sure you’ve seen the mapping we include next to home results, but have you searched the “Maps” section? It’s remarkable and will prove handy next time your buyers ask questions about neighborhood characteristics, demographics and market trends.  Use the map interface to drag and zoom around your area.  Each map includes a color coded key; use that to match against various segments of the map.

2. Comparables:  You’ve probably already investigated the “Change Home Value” feature, but sometimes you’re just looking for comparable properties. Try searching a property and then scroll down the page and look to the right-hand side for “Comparable Homes.”  In that section click “View All Comparables.” Now you can sort through the comps and select the properties you feel are most appropriate.  On the right side a matrix will display the impact of your changes on the subject property.

3. Zip Code Level Market Indicators: Search a zip code in your market area using the “Neighborhood” section. Track everything from Median Estimated Home Value to Projected Job Growth in the next 10 years.  You’ll appreciate the quick access to such prolific data. Look through bar charts, graphs and data sets.

Read the full story